The Value of Authentic Learning Experiences

Over and over again we are reminded of the importance of authentic learning experiences. Unfortunately, students who demonstrate difficulty with reading and writing are often robbed of authentic experiences when they our pulled from the general classroom population to receive remedial instruction. This is something I struggle with as an aspiring educator. Routman calls us to “guard the time [we] have with [our] students”; that we must “do [our] best to ensure that [our] students who most need to hear stories and rich language are not leaving the room when [we] are reading aloud and introducing shared language experiences” (Routman, 2005). However in the classrooms I have worked in with a strong push for multiple literacies and connectedness, I am challenged to identify a time that did not feature rich, or at least relevant, language and shared language experiences. How do we find time for needed interventions?

I do, however, share Routman’s sentiments. There is an autistic student in my main placement who I will call Joey (pseudonym used). Joey attended kindergarten and first grade in general education classrooms, however his performance was quite low. His parents, one of whom is a professional educator, decided to home school Joey for the next two years. Joey’s parents, dissatisfied with the progress made during his home schooled years, have decided to try to reintroduce him to general education. He requires a tremendous amount of support, which sometimes presents a personal challenge for me. However, I often observe the interaction between Joey and other students and am made very much aware of the unscripted ways in which both students like Joey and typically developing students enhance learning experiences for each other.

One day my mentoring teacher decided to do read aloud immediately following recess. Joey, over-stimulated and unable to sit still, jumped to his feet and asked to take a look around. While Joey explored the room, I retrieved a weighted blanket from the resource room and offered it to Joey in hopes of settling him. Following the reading, students were asked to write in their journals about what they had heard. One student, Alexis (pseudonym used), finished fairly quickly and noticed me sitting with Joey in the back of the room while he tried to draw a picture representative of the story. Rather than accepting the option to read quietly while other students worked in there journals, Alexis, aware that Joey had missed much of the story, asked if sharing her journal might help to fill in the parts he’d missed. I sat and watched the two of them in awe. Joey listened intently as Alexis read parts of her story and encouraged Joey in his drawing. Alexis created an opportunity to share and celebrate not only her work, but Joey’s as well. These are the images that come to mind when I read Routman’s words.